About
Hello, I’m Allison
I help first and second generation adults create the happy and healthy relationships they desire most without sacrificing their dreams, desires and mental health along the way.
What I Do
I specialize in working with first and second generation adults who want to reduce:
Anxiety (e.g. worry, overwhelm)
Burnout
Dissatisfaction in Relationships
Low Self-esteem
Stress
I can work with you in rediscovering your current identity/sense of self as you reflect on your:
Family Roles, Expectations (e.g. generational issues and trauma)
Life Transitions (e.g. parenting, role changes, relocation, grief, career changes)
I help individuals move forward in a way that aligns with their own specific values, goals, and needs.
Why I Do What I Do
Moving forward and making changes isn’t always easy. There are so many thoughts, ideas, values, and expectations that are influencing us or have influenced us to be, think, or act in certain ways.
We have learned and absorbed ideas about how we are “supposed” to be. It can be hard to shift away from those expectations due to fears, worries, and insecurities.
I’ve worked through some of these feelings myself, and am happy to tell you that you can deal with these fears and worries in a way that is more manageable.
The challenges won’t stop coming; life doesn’t stop throwing obstacles and curveballs at us, but we can become better equipped to handle what comes our way. And therapy can help with providing you with more tools and support.
I love helping individuals figure out what’s causing them to feel worried, stressed, and stuck. When we work together, my hope is for you to feel supported and more confident.
Experience
Licensed Clinical Social Worker (LCSW)
Pupil Personnel Services Credential (PPSC)
M.A. in Social Welfare from the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA)
Individual Cognitive Behavioral Therapy Certified (CBT)
Interpersonal Psychotherapy Certified (IPT)
Trauma Focused Cognitive Behavioral Therapy Certified (TFCBT)
Other Things About Me
I’m apart of the first generation in my family to be born and raised in Los Angeles, California. I identify as Asian American. I always thought I was half Vietnamese and half Chinese growing up. But it wasn’t until college that I realized I am not.
I identify as Chinese and Vietnamese culturally, although I’m ethnically only Chinese (Teochew). Both of my grandparents moved from China to Vietnam, where my parents were born. So much of my life has been influenced by Vietnamese, Chinese and American culture and values. I speak Vietnamese conversationally.
Other things about me- I enjoy being outdoors (e.g. walking, hiking and going to the beach). I love listening to podcasts. I also enjoy comedy and will always appreciate a good pun. I often run out of space on my phone with excessive photos and videos (even with phone storage upgrades) so you can find me constantly deleting and redownloading apps on my phone to save my photos (it’s quite annoying, honestly). I am working on taking less and having more meaningful photos.
Meeting a new person to talk about your challenges can sometimes be nerve wrecking,
but know that I am here to support you.
I will answer any questions you may have during our free consultation call.